


As Sure as Tomorrow Will Come

by whatpeanut



Category: Super Junior
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-05
Updated: 2013-10-14
Packaged: 2017-12-28 12:56:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/992239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatpeanut/pseuds/whatpeanut
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Freedom is the sea, is the open sky, and sometimes, it is home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

The first thing Hyukjae does everyday when he wakes in the morning is to look out the window at his bedside. He always expects to hear the engines, the whirring of propellers, and then he’d run to the docks half-dressed in hopes of seeing a glistening red plane land on the water. Sometimes he dreams of it, his heart racing in his sleep at the sight of an old friend. But more often than not, when Hyukjae opens his curtains and lets the sun in, he only meets the endless, sparkling ocean, and no familiar specks of red in the sky. 

\--

The silver islands are clustered miles away from the mainland where the sea is blue and calm.

Summer days are always lively, boats in the water, sea birds hovering over the fishery markets, and the island shops blooming with business. With no island being larger than half an acre of land, it makes them just about big enough for a saloon or marina or a few shops of decent size. It’s no venice, but it’s still a little village on water and to those who love the sea, it’s a dream.

Lee Hyukjae runs the A Casa Inn on the island farthest from the coast. It’s become famously known over the years as a sanctuary and resting place for sailors and seaplane pilots, folks who spend their lives at sea and need a place to sleep for the night when their passion for freedom allows them. It’s rumored that even the most notorious seaplane pirates and navy officers drop by once in awhile to share a few drinks like old pals, find peace in Hyukjae’s hospitality as if they were stripped of all their burdensome titles. The docks on his little island are always open to travelers and regulars alike, and when anyone mentions home out there, they think of A Casa and the good company of the young innkeeper.

\--

Hyukjae meets Ji-Eun in the end of spring.

She arrives on his island in a taxi-boat first thing in the morning. Hyukjae is used to guests at the inn, but with Ji-Eun, it’s different. She’s a student of his sister’s, sent over to the silver islands for a job placement, meaning she’ll be staying with him for the whole summer. And this, to Hyukjae, is new. 

She proves herself to be a hardworking girl though, not letting Hyukjae help her with her suitcases and making herself at home soon as she arrives. She’s a bright, beautiful girl with braided hair and a small frame. Hyukjae gets the uncomfortable idea that she has probably heard too many stories about his business from his sister, her teacher, because she follows him around constantly, thoroughly interested in everything he does. Ji-Eun’s just about enthusiastic about everything: from making breakfast for the guests, to counting money at the counter, to cleaning the yard and docks and bathrooms. She even cooks for Hyukjae on the days where he’s too busy to make his own dinner.

It’s nice to have a helping hand, Hyukjae decides. Except he gets calls from his sister in the city from time to time, jokingly reminding him that Ji-Eun is only seventeen and much too young for him, to which he hangs up swiftly.

“Why here, of all places?” Hyukjae asks her one day, not out of annoyance but merely curiosity.

She smiles widely. “Ms.Sora always talked about you, Mr.Hyukjae,” she says while she sweeps the floors in the little lobby, a dreamy look in her face, “She told me you’ve met all sorts of famous people by running this place.”

Hyukjae nods, expecting as much. Sora loved boasting to her students about her brother’s inn in the silver islands, and when it comes to famous pilots, the women can’t seem to ever get enough.

“Is it true that Curtiss sat in these seats? And that Hoover and Yeager first met each other in this very room?”

Her eyes are bright and hopeful, it reminds Hyukjae of the time that he was seventeen and flipped through pages and pages of aeroplane magazines and collected posters of movie actors.

“That’s all true alright,” Hyukjae laughs, pointing to a framed photo on the wall of two men sitting at a table together; Robert Hoover and Chuck Yeager, handsome and talented pilots who flew for the airforce. They were, and remain today, best of friends. 

“Of course, they weren’t quite so famous then,” Hyukjae says.

Hyukjae remembers meeting Bob and Chuck, they used to visit often back when they didn’t have such high obligations in the army. Nice men, and high tippers too. Who knew that they’d get so big, that Bob Hoover’s stunts and loop de loops in the sky would make him a celebrity, and that Chuck would turn out to be the first man ever to fly faster than goddamn sound. 

Ji-Eun beams at his wall of black and white photos, naming some of the faces she’s seen on television and the front page of newspapers. Hyukjae follows her gaze, takes this chance to reminisce the early days of his business. On the far left of the wall, one photograph is hung slightly isolated from the rest of the collection. The wood on the frame is a lighter colour--an indication of its age--but the glass is still reflective and polished, as if it’s been wiped and cleaned everyday. It doesn’t take long for Ji-Eun to recognize the pilot in the photo.

 

“Is that... Lee Donghae?” Ji-Eun gawks. 

 

She turns to Hyukjae when he doesn’t reply, and then she falls silent upon seeing his face. Hyukjae is smiling slightly and for a second he looks so handsome she doesn’t know how to react. It looks like he’s deep in thought until he snaps out of his daze and realizes that Ji-Eun is still awaiting an answer.

“Yeah,” Hyukjae says, “That’s him on the left.”

\--

The mailman of the silver islands has a very important job, every morning before nine Ryeowook must travel by boat to every island, and on the end of the docks there is a mailbox where he can drop off any envelopes or deliveries. It’s not easy, but Ryeowook knows everyone around these parts and he’s grown used to the water routes. 

One thing he loves about his job is how you can tell what kind of person someone is just by looking at the type of mail they get. Ryeowook knows that when Tiffany isn’t running her diner, she’s ordering designer shoes from Milan, and that Jungsoo is the type of man who likes to read big books--a different one each week, and how happy Lee Hyukjae can be when he receives letters from a particular sender who doesn’t like to put their name or return address on the envelopes. Ryeowook knows who it’s from, of course, everyone in the islands know about him.

It’s a curious thing sometimes, to see Hyukjae already at his dock when Ryeowook arrives. He’s dressed in a white, buttoned up shirt with suspenders that held up his trousers. As Ryeowook pulls up close to the dock, Hyukjae flashes him a genuine smile, a trait that’s common among folks in this town.

“Letter for mister Hyukjae,” Ryeowook says as he turns to take out a small sealed envelope from his boat.

“Thanks my friend,” Hyukjae begins to say just as a gust of breeze comes by and lifts the letter right out of Ryeowook’s boat and into the air. Ryeowook curses as they watch the envelope flutter away, stolen by the wind, and fall into the seawater.

The next thing he knows, Hyukjae is kicking off his shoes and diving off the dock.

“Wait!” Ryeowook calls to him but it’s too late, he’s already swimming out into the water, the red of his hair against the blue of the sea. 

When Hyukjae comes back to shore, he’s ecstatic even though the letter in his hand is soaking wet and his shirt is sticking to his body. Ryeowook stares blankly at him as he wrings the bottom hem of his clothes dry with the biggest smile on his face.

“That was my fault, I’m sorry,” Ryeowook apologizes, “but I have a boat sir, I could’ve gotten it for you, must be unpleasant getting all your clothes wet.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Hyukjae laughs, “It’s just that it’s a very important letter to me.”

Ryeowook nods. He already knew this, of course.


	2. Two.

In July, the inn is bustling with customers.

 

The sun has gone down and the island is just about completely surrounded by docked seaplanes and boats, the owners of which are booming with laughter and song in the bar downstairs. There are pilots and sailors, air force officers and pirates all in the same room. Normally they wouldn’t be getting along--always some grudge held and revenge to be had through the years of the chase--but since it’s A Casa and since it’s Hyukjae, who they are and which side they’re on beyond these four walls doesn’t matter. Arresting the most wanted pirate can wait til morning.

 

It’s Hyukjae’s favourite time of year, where summer nights at the inn are filled with life and camaraderie.

 

Ji-Eun, on the other hand, looks like she could barely keep up, scrambling from one end of the bar to the other, cleaning tables and grabbing drinks for the hearty bunch of guests in her own bubble of stress and worry. She doesn’t stop for one second to rest and it’s almost tiring just looking at her. Hyukjae laughs from behind the counter, catches her arm as she’s frantically walking by.

 

“Take a break, have a seat why don’t you,” he nods to a large table where a group of adriatic seaplane pirates sat. Ji-Eun looks at him, unsure and hesitant. She dries her hands on her apron and Hyukjae smiles as he guides her to the table of men.

 

“Don’t worry, they’re not here for any trouble,” Hyukjae says, “Right boys?”

 

“On our best behaviour, boss!” one of them booms as he raises a jug of beer.

 

Ji-Eun scans the faces around her when she’s introduced by Hyukjae. They’re not what you’d imagine pirates to be, no eyepatches or bandanas or stitches across their faces. In fact, they look like normal pilots, their helmets buckled to their belt and goggles hung around their neck, except they probably shave a little less than some men in the air force would, their hair less tidy, and the leather jackets they wear are decorated with patches and skulls rather than medals of honour. Hyukjae pulls out a chair for Ji-Eun, sits her down, and walks around the round table to squeeze into the seat across from her. Throwing an arm around the pirate next to him, he pours himself a drink.

 

“So what’s the deal with the cute girl?” the pirate says and gestures towards Ji-Eun, “You runnin’ a daycare or somethin’?” he jokes.

 

“Oh, this place was a daycare long before she came around,” Hyukjae says and Ji-Eun giggles.

 

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” another pirate at the table barked.

 

“Just kidding Piero,” Hyukjae laughs and takes a sip from his beer, “Ji-Eun here came all the way from the mainland to help me out with this place, she’s one hell of a worker.”

 

To this, Ji-Eun blushes and smiles shyly.

 

“She’s also an admirer of notoriety,” Hyukjae adds, “So why don’t you boys introduce yourselves?”

 

The pirate under Hyukjae’s arm snickers. He’s dark haired and appears to be in his mid thirties, not much older than Hyukjae, but he’s got a tougher look and a beard to go with it. “Notoriety huh? You sure came to the right place, girl. I’m Giovanni, this here’s my gang Nostra Vita. You wanna know how a seaplane’s supposed to fly, you just gotta look at us.”

 

A man from across the room yells, “Ah, don’t listen to this idiot, he thinks he can call himself a flyer when he couldn’t even rob the Grand Voyager!”

 

The Grand Voyager, of course, was one of the biggest cruise lines to sail the Atlantic.

 

Ji-Eun flinches when Giovanni jumps up and barks back, “You shut up! We were just low on gas on that job! Besides, we’re not the ones who got caught by the English police that one time before our planes even left the beach!”

 

At the other end of the bar, a few proper looking young men, badges stuffed carelessly into their pockets, look over at the mention of “English police”, and chuckle in their booth before turning their attention back to their own conversation.

 

“Yeah? Well did us Fifth Horsemen lose to Lee Donghae thirty times in a row?” The other pirate, a member of the Fifth Horseman gang it seems, rebuttals. The rest of the men at his table laugh obnoxiously at the Italian pirates’ fortune. The Nostra Vitas on the other hand are stirring with inaudible threats, some slipping out of their jackets and rubbing their knuckles.

 

Ji-Eun looks over at Hyukjae worriedly, but he seems perfectly calm and content, chuckling at the insults currently being thrown across his bar. The tension in the air is thick, and Ji-Eun is suddenly reminded that these people are pirates, they’re men who cheat and steal and fight for a living. Maybe getting a job at a place where they gather every night is not the best idea after all.

 

Giovanni is at the point where he’s rolling his sleeves up when Hyukjae steps in and puts a gentle hand on his shoulder. And somehow that’s all it takes for him to look back at Hyukjae and be reminded of his place, where he is, and just whose hospitality he’s currently under. Giovanni grunts, mumbles something like “whatever” under his breath and sits back down. The captain of the Fifth Horseman gang is about to shout something else but Hyukjae shoots him a look, nothing of menace, a rather handsome one really, and he, too, shuts up.

 

It’s the first time Ji-Eun’s witnessed Hyukjae like this. She’s reminded of how he’s been able to run this business for so long, how his older sister said he was the charm of the silver islands. It’s something else, she imagines, to make a seaplane pirate admit defeat, to make a man swallow his pride when he’s the type who lives in the clouds and sees the world only by looking down.

 

“Now gentlemen, how ‘bout a song to cool us all down?” Hyukjae announces with an eye-crinkling smile.

  
 

\--

  
 

Indeed, Hyukjae’s voice captures everyone’s attention. He picks a smooth jazz of sorts, one that his husky and smoldering voice is made for.

 

The storm has died down and the atmosphere in the inn is calm as the sea. Ji-Eun stays at the same table with the crowd, the romantically sad melody tugging at the corners of her heart as Hyukjae takes the stage like he was born there. It’s not so much the quality of his voice so much as his sincerity though, the way his heart is worn on his sleeve. _He's beautiful_ , Ji-Eun catches herself thinking, _really, really beautiful_. Looking around, it seems like everyone else is just as captivated by Hyukjae, the women whispering into each other’s ears without breaking eye contact and the men staring at their drinks like they’re reminiscing past lovers and fleeting memories of youth. The piano in the background is slow, lulling.

 

“You know why I ignored that stupid comment about Lee Donghae?” Giovanni whispers beside Ji-Eun.

 

She shakes her head, surprised that he would bring it up. The door to the pub at the back opens inconspicuously and closes again with a soft click. No one notices the slow footsteps, the sound of careful leather boots against wooden floors. There is an instrumental break in the song where Hyukjae pulls away from the microphone and looks up. Ji-Eun stares at the way the lights play off his red hair and sparkle in his eyes. There is a moment where it looks like Hyukjae has noticed a particular face in the audience, where the expression in his eyes changes and the kindest, most tender smile Ji-Eun has ever seen stretches softly across his face.

 

“Because this here’s the only man who can get even that bastard out of the sky.”

 

Ji-Eun pulls her gaze away from Hyukjae to turn around.

 

 

  
In the very back of the room, there is a man Ji-Eun’s never met before in a brown leather jacket, standing by the door with an orange satin scarf tied loosely around his neck. His opaque black aviators completely block his eyes, but even from here, Ji-Eun knows who has finally showed up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
